Qayamat: City Under Threat 2003

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) assigns the case of three terrorists to the honest Akram Sheikh Suniel Shetty. The trio—Ali Rehmani [Arbaaz Khan], Abbas Rehmani [Sanjay Kapoor], and their girlfriend Laila [Isha Koppikar]—work under a broader plot masterminded by Brigadier Rashid [Deep Dhillon], a ruthless Pakistani ISI officer. Ali, Abbas, and Laila hatch a dangerous scheme to extort the Indian government, flee to Pakistan by sea, and seize control of Elphinston Jail in Mumbai. With the help of a corrupt scientist, Gopal [Chunky Pandey], who is part of a research team, they load three missiles with a deadly virus that could devastate any living thing within a three-kilometer radius. Their audacious plan also involves taking a group of 213 tourists hostage inside the jail, including Rahul’s girlfriend Sheetal [Riya Sen], and demanding a ransom of 1500 crores within 24 hours. If paid, the missiles could be diverted; if not, the doomsday weapon would be unleashed on Mumbai’s water bodies, triggering an apocalypse—an event the conspirators dub Qayamat.

To infiltrate the jail, Akram Sheikh pleads with the Maharashtra Chief Minister to authorize the return of Rachit [Ajay Devgn], a man who has eluded Elphinston Jail before—a feat that history would rarely, if ever, witness again. Rachit is a taciturn and haunted figure, kept silent since the night his beloved Sapna [Neha Dhupia] was thought dead. In truth, Sapna is alive, a revelation that could turn the tide. Rachit had been an associate who was double-crossed by Ali and Abbas (and who killed another associate after escaping), a betrayal that also claimed Sapna’s life in the eyes of the conspirators—until now.

With Akram’s team and Rahul at the helm, the mission enters through the very route Rachit once used—first an underwater approach, then a maze of tunnels leading to the jail’s septic tank. The plan progresses until a fatal betrayal surfaces: Maharashtra’s corrupt Home Minister Carey’s counterpart shrouds their arrival in secrecy, and the terrorists’ men ambush the team in a brutal gunfight. The assault costs Akram his life, leaving Rahul and Rachit as the only survivors.

Rachit bears severe mental trauma, a condition that manifests in recurring hallucinations every twelve hours and even robs him of his ability to speak. His resolve hardens when Sapna arrives at the CBI headquarters and communicates with him over a walkie-talkie, affirming her enduring love and her survival. Her message becomes the catalyst that sharpens Rachit’s focus, and he rises to the challenge, taking down Ali and Abbas’s men with single-handed precision. Sheetal escapes captivity and joins Rahul and Rachit in the struggle.

Rahul works to disarm the missiles one by one while also killing Gopal. As the battle intensifies, Laila seizes Rahul at gunpoint and demands that Rahul be killed if Rachit does not abandon Abbas. Rahul pleads for mercy, but Rachit makes a hard choice: he shoots Rahul in the leg to prevent a possible sacrifice, and then turns his attention to Laila, shooting her dead. Abbas tries to flee, but Rachit kills him as well, and with a final act of resolve, he disarms the last missile and eliminates Ali. The city of Mumbai—and the hostages—are saved at the last possible moment. The corrupt Maharashtra Home Minister is arrested, and Brigadier Rashid is killed in an air strike. In a poignant closing moment, Rachit reunites with Sapna and reveals that he can finally speak again, reaffirming their bond and the resilience of those who fight for justice.